seriously, don't buy a Halfords bike

[Tony Raven]

Peter Clinch wrote:

>
> So they replace the one manufactured from reject Brie with another made
> from reject Brie... might as well put in something that at least aspires
> to being merely adequate.
>

These Carbon-Helium-di-Einsteinium alloys are not all they are made out
to be ;-)


--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

 

[Pete Biggs]

MartinM wrote:

> So on a sealed one you can clamp the tool onto the spline with a crank
> bolt? thanks, will try that next time. The last time I had a stiff one
> (fnaar fnaar) I rather lost it and hit the spanner with a large
> hammer; result, one splineless tool ;-(

Or if a crank bolt doesn't suit, you can use a QR skewer & spacers through
a hollow-axle BB, or a Tacx tool that screws into the axle.

~PB

 

[mb]

Paul - *** wrote:

> MartinM came up with the following;:
> > I knew Halfrauds
>
> Cheap dig.
>
> > caveat emptor
>
> Purrrlease ... 3 or 4 years is a good lifetime for any mountain bike
> bottom bracket, let alone one on a cheap, **** bike.


If my BBs lasted 3-4 years, I'd be quite pleased.

--
Mike

 

[Simon Bennett]

MartinM wrote:

> tried that too; result; one broken Lidl vice ;-(

Lidl! Another false economy!

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Tom
('Don'[email protected]') wrote:

> David Martin <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> Just wondering how long other people keep their bikes, or is it a case
>> of how well locked they are so teh at the thievingpikeychavscum don't
>> make off with it.
>
> My Mercian Audax special will be celebrating it's 20th birthday
> sometime this year.
>
> http://toomanybikes.com/twenty.htm

Nerd score of 71%? Pah! I got 96%.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

'You cannot put "The Internet" into the Recycle Bin.'

 

[Erik Sandblom]

>> I appreciate that on this group anything that doesn't burn a hole
>> in a years salary is automatically classed as ****,


I haven't followed this thread, so please forgive me for butting in.

I've seen the snobbery you mention. My opinion on this is that nine times
out of ten, if the bike isn't working properly, it's because it's not being
maintained properly. I'm not very knowledgeable about the quality of
different parts, but everything needs replacing eventually. And preventative
maintenance is cheaper.


>> but why should I spend
>> hundreds to pootle to work each day, and if it got nicked, who cares, I
>> doubt I would even report it to the police.


On the other hand, if you don't care enough about this bike (apparently an
underpriced one at a supermarket?), than why should anyone else...


>> I have a Dawes Giro 400 plus an older Giro 300 to use if I want to cycle any
>> distance. I also have a very old trade bike with a huge basket on the front,
>> brilliant for shopping, and it will still be going strong when all your
>> expensive mountain bikes are on the dump!


I don't think mountain bikes are very trendy among cycling enthusiasts,
because the tires are too fat for most purposes.


> My not very expensive MTB has cost me probably three times it's
> original purchase price and is now 9 years old.
>
> The road bike I bought as a bare frame in 1989 and built up. The
> current wheels were built in the early 90's.
>
> Just wondering how long other people keep their bikes, or is it a case
> of how well locked they are so teh at the thievingpikeychavscum don't
> make off with it.


I have two unspectacular bikes I've been given and bought second hand. I
have fixed them up with new parts now and again, and am quite happy with
them. I generally lock them to something, but if I can't do that, just put
the cable around the wheel and frame.


> There does seem to be a tendency to get new bikes
> fairly frequently, or maybe just to talk about it if you have got a new
> one (I'm sure WTG would tellus if he had bought a new brompton)..


I bought a Brompton last fall. What a great bike. First new bike I've had
since I was nine! That was 21 years ago, also a great bike

I think people probably just talk about their new bikes when they get them.
In contrast to a car, a bike can have all its parts replaced one by one.
After ten years it's an old bike which is new.

--
Erik Sandblom
my site is EriksRailNews.com
for those who don't believe, no explanation is possible
for those who do, no explanation is necessary

 

[Mike Causer]

On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:56:44 -0700, David Martin wrote:

> Just wondering how long other people keep their bikes, or is it a case of
> how well locked they are so teh at the thievingpikeychavscum don't make
> off with it.

When I was a teenager the average life of a frame was 14 months. Old
frames broke when rusted through, and new frames broke after contact with
immovable objects. All undamaged bits were transferred to the next frame
of course.

Since giving up crashing (almost , my first ever completely new bike,
a Moulton AM7 costing nearly 500 beer coupons in 1983, has now done about
20,000km and is need of about 300 beer coupons-worth of new drivetrain
and back wheel. Apart from that it's had chains, tyres & tubes, a
dual-pivot front brake and one mudguard. Next aquired was the Ross
recumbent in 1998, 9,000 km so far and only expense has been 1 tyre. Given
to me by a friend was a 1964 Moulton, it hit the road last year but has
just loaned some vital organs to the 1965 Moulton bought earlier this year
for 25 coupons. That bike has twice its purchase cost of new Schwalbe
tyres & tubes on it now, and fresh today, a 50p rear reflector (but
BS6102/2 of course). Buy the best quality you can afford, keep 'em long
enough, and the costs are really very low.

No bikes have been lost to theft, and I haven't seen any evidence of an
attempt to pinch them either. Maybe my non-mainstream choices confuse the
tea-leafs too much?


Mike

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Ib
('[email protected]') wrote:

> It does a job of transport, and if I required to leave a bike in a
> university bike-rack again I would certainly have a use for it. But at
> the moment I don't. An LBS run maintenance classes where you bring your
> own bike along, strip it down and rebuild. Would this be a good
> exercise to refurbish this bike? Or is it so old that I am going to
> learn nothing about current bikes from this process?

It really depends on the quality of the frame. A frame that old will
almost certainly be steel, which means the rear triangle can be 'cold
set' - i.e. bent - to fit modern axle widths. It may have been made for
27" wheels, which means only some brakes will work if you fit modern
700C wheels. You may not be able to fit a modern headset. But apart from
that, you will be able to fit modern bottom bracket, transmission, stem,
handlebars, control levers.

If it's a decent frame, it's worth it. If not, not.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; single speed mountain bikes: for people who cycle on flat mountains.

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>,
MartinM ('[email protected]') wrote:

>> Better to mount the tool in a bench vice and use the frame for
>> leverage, with someone pressing down hard on the BB shell if need be.
>
> tried that too; result; one broken Lidl vice ;-(

Eeef your lidl vice isn't up to the job, get a beeeg vice.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

<p>Schroedinger's cat is <blink><strong>NOT</strong></blink> dead.</p>

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <C069BE79.1AE4C%[email protected]>, Erik Sandblom
('[email protected]') wrote:

>>> I have a Dawes Giro 400 plus an older Giro 300 to use if I want to
>>> cycle any distance. I also have a very old trade bike with a huge
>>> basket on the front, brilliant for shopping, and it will still be
>>> going strong when all your expensive mountain bikes are on the dump!
>
> I don't think mountain bikes are very trendy among cycling enthusiasts,
> because the tires are too fat for most purposes.

Au contraire. My mountain bike is still my favourite bike. But I never
use it unless I'm going off-road, because on the road it's all wrong,
and consequently hard work. I think you'll find there are an awful lot
of cycling enthusiasts who have mountain bikes. Some have mountain bikes
only, some have road bikes only, lots have bikes of both types.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Hobbit ringleader gives Sauron One in the Eye.

 

[MartinM]

Simon Bennett wrote:

> Lidl! Another false economy!

actually I got a replacement last month (what goes around comes
around!)

TBF the Lidl vice was an extreme Dangerous Brother moment; I'd bought a
brand new alloy frame off eBay (£10) which the seller had not realised
had a RH BB thread both sides(and he had 30 of them!) {1} . When I told
him he apologised profusely refunded me and sais scrap it so I thought
what the hell? and tried to re-tap the BB into the frame, when it got
too stiff I used the vice approach.

{1} someone will probably come along in a moment and say that you can
actually get a BB that's threaded that way ;-(

 

[mb]

MartinM wrote:

> Simon Bennett wrote:
>
> > Lidl! Another false economy!
>
> actually I got a replacement last month (what goes around comes
> around!)
>
> TBF the Lidl vice was an extreme Dangerous Brother moment; I'd bought
> a brand new alloy frame off eBay (£10) which the seller had not
> realised had a RH BB thread both sides(and he had 30 of them!) {1} .
> When I told him he apologised profusely refunded me and sais scrap it
> so I thought what the hell? and tried to re-tap the BB into the
> frame, when it got too stiff I used the vice approach.
>
> {1} someone will probably come along in a moment and say that you can
> actually get a BB that's threaded that way ;-(


Er, yes. Italian types, I have two of them.

--
Mike

 

[Mike Causer]

On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 11:11:48 -0700, MartinM wrote:

> tried that too; result; one broken Lidl vice ;-(

Get a proper Record vice, mine has just done two "stuck" BB cups. Or if
you are in need of a 6-inch vice, very very solid, it's yours for the
freight cost. Plus the bill for the hernia op I'll need after picking it
up to pack it. Unwanted "present" from my dad....


Mike

 

[Simon Bennett]

MartinM wrote:

> TBF the Lidl vice was an extreme Dangerous Brother moment; I'd bought
> a brand new alloy frame off eBay (£10) which the seller had not
> realised had a RH BB thread both sides(and he had 30 of them!) {1} .
> When I told him he apologised profusely refunded me and sais scrap it
> so I thought what the hell? and tried to re-tap the BB into the
> frame, when it got too stiff I used the vice approach.
>
> {1} someone will probably come along in a moment and say that you can
> actually get a BB that's threaded that way ;-(

Um. That's an Italian BB. I've got one on the Merckx.

 

[Jon Senior]

On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 21:40:54 +0100, Mike Causer wrote:
> No bikes have been lost to theft, and I haven't seen any evidence of an
> attempt to pinch them either. Maybe my non-mainstream choices confuse the
> tea-leafs too much?

I would be more included to blame your choice of residential area. ;-)
Move yourself a few tens of miles south and the Sprawl will soon 'av them!

Jon

 

[Richard]

Mike Causer wrote:
> On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 11:11:48 -0700, MartinM wrote:
>
>
>> tried that too; result; one broken Lidl vice ;-(
>
>
> Get a proper Record vice,

I can second that recommendation for Record. After bending some
no-brand bolt-on vice, I bought a Record and, so far, it's taken
everything I've thrown at it.

R.

 

[Ib]

Simon Brooke wrote:
> If it's a decent frame, it's worth it. If not, not.
>

Well it's certainly steel, because it rusts... Apart from that, it's a
Falcon 'Shane Sutton Special'. My tyres and tubes are 700C, but maybe I
just made them fit. My central heating engineer remarked he hadn't seen
one of them for a while - I don't know whether that is good or bad, but
turns out he once rode in the Commonwealth Games...

Ib.

 

[David Martin]

Tony Raven wrote:
> Peter Clinch wrote:
>
> >
> > So they replace the one manufactured from reject Brie with another made
> > from reject Brie... might as well put in something that at least aspires
> > to being merely adequate.
> >
>
> These Carbon-Helium-di-Einsteinium alloys are not all they are made out
> to be ;-)

It's the selenium impurities. Very hard to get rid of. They are often
found with Phosphorus.

...d

 

[MartinM]

Simon Bennett wrote:

> > {1} someone will probably come along in a moment and say that you can
> > actually get a BB that's threaded that way ;-(
>
> Um. That's an Italian BB. I've got one on the Merckx.

well I had also tried to shorten the steerer tube so it would fit the
forks (by eye with a hacksaw!) so it was probably past saving anyway.
So an Italian BB is the same thread both sides? and the same pitch etc?
he did say it was a Raleigh frame even though it had no markings
whatever; perhaps they got a batch of them and it was easier to scrap
them than order new BB's.

 

[Mike Causer]

On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 22:25:13 +0100, Jon Senior wrote:

> On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 21:40:54 +0100, Mike Causer wrote:
>> No bikes have been lost to theft, and I haven't seen any evidence of an
>> attempt to pinch them either. Maybe my non-mainstream choices confuse
>> the tea-leafs too much?
>
> I would be more included to blame your choice of residential area. ;-)

Maybe Newmarket is particularly low in theft [1], but the 'bent gets so
much interest that I keep D-Tek's number on the mobile so I can easily
give it on enquiries "Where can I buy one of those?". (And I haven't
bought anything from Kevin yet. I do think he's a good bloke though.)


[1] Trying hard to think of the last time I saw a bike worth more than my
23-year-old Moulton there, or even my 41-year-old Moulton.....


Mike